When it comes time to buy that new outdoor grill that you have been yearning for, you need to make sure that you understand all the diverse grilling features. For first time grill owners, all those new terms can be confusing. That is why in the following article I will cover all the different grilling terms and features and how you can use that knowledge.

One of the most important things to deliberate on when purchasing a new outside grill is the fuel type. Outdoor grills come in 100's and even thousands of different shapes, sizes, and fuel types.

The most standard type is probably the classic charcoal grill. A charcoal grill uses briquettes to cook the meat instead of a wood or gas fuel. And those are the other two main types of grills.

Smoker grills ordinarily use wood fuel and the smoke created to cook your food in a way that leaves a special flavor. And the final most common type of fuel for grills is propane or natural gas grills.

Propane grills are perfect if you need any portability or don’t have a natural gas line to your home. On the other hand if you do, a natural gas grill can save you a ton of time from having to purchase or fill new propane canisters so much. Really fuel type is just a matter of preference based on what you will be using it for and where.

Outdoor Grilling Terms

You must understand most if not all of the different grill terms if you want to buy a new grill this season. The most common phrase that you will hear is that of the British Thermal Unit (BTU). A BTU is the amount of heat it takes to raise one lb of water by one degree.

The grilling surface size of the outdoor grill in question is another important characteristic that you should to consider. If you only cook for you or 1 other, you can get away with a cheap smaller grill most of the time. On the other hand if you need to cook for a big family or like to grill for get-togethers you will probably need a bigger grill that can handle your needs.

The final thing you should think about when choosing a new outdoor grill is how easy is it to maintain and clean. See if it has any features that allow you to clean it easier. It may have a cleaning door or even a self-cleaning feature which could save you hours. This is particularly true for gas or smoker grills that can be very sloppy and hard to clean.

So how can you put the knowledge to good use? First look at all the various fuel types and make a list of pros and cons and pick a fuel type that will suit your need. After that, look at the different sizes of grills. Pick a suitable size that gives you enough grilling room as well as working space for applying sauces or marinades. You can even look at grills that have extra burners for heating up extras.

Once you figure out how big you want to go you need to figure out the heating power of the grills. Most grills will give you a certain number of BTU’s, for example ten thousand. If you want to determine how much heat that grill produces all you have to do is take the total number of BTU’s (ten thousand in the example) and divide it by the total square inches of cooking space (let’s say one hundred sq. inches for the example grill). This will give you a total of one hundred BTU’s per square inch which is exactly enough to provide enough heat to cook anything you can throw at it. Anything less than ninety BTU’s per sq. inch is probably not worth it.

Finally look at all the extra features that the grills offer and choose a grill at the best price that has everything you need. And that's all there is to buying a new grill this season.